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Period 4 Spring 2011

Script- Double Jeopardy
Characters:
Jane Jackson ( married to Jane )
John Jackson ( married to John )
Julia ( Jane's best friend )
Josh ( Romantically involved with Jane )

Midnight at the Jackson Household-

I came home to my wife sitting in the dark on the couch. She was quiet. The TV was off.

Jane: You’ve been out all night long, “at the bar” you keep telling me. How do I know you weren’t with some other chick? You come home smelling like perfume. What’s going on?

John: I don’t know what you are talking about. I have been at the restaurant with some co-workers working overtime on a huge project. You’re so paranoid, you probably just smell your own perfume. I don't know what your talking about woman, I’m going to bed.

Jane: Get back here! I’m not done talking to you…

Narrator: John walks upstairs to their bedroom.

Narrator: Jane walks into the bathroom, where she switches his pills.

Narrator: Later that night she lies down next to John in bed. He feels cold

Months Later-

Narrator- Jane goes to trial on murder charges, and is found not guilty.

A few weeks later Jane is talking to her friend, Julia-

Jane: I need to tell you something Julia. I really did kill John. He was always coming home late, and he smelled like perfume. I thought he was cheating on me. We hardly got to see each other, he wasn't even home for dinner half the time. That night I had stayed up so we could talk when he got home. We just ended up getting into another argument about it, and I just got so angry. So while he was in the shower, I switched his pills. The next morning he was dead. I only wanted to make him a little sick, but I killed him.

Julia: You know that you could have another trial and go to jail this time.

Jane: Haven’t you ever heard of double jeopardy? Since I’ve already been tried on this case and found not guilty, I can’t be tried again. I researched it. I found this case, United States vs. Dixon, where Dixon was going to be tried on the same cocaine case twice, but the Supreme Court said that he couldn’t be tried again. This is just like my case. (Pauses and shakes her head) I don't know what I was thinking, John would never cheat on me. I was being to obsessive, I should have believed him.

Julia: That's not exactly true... John was cheating on you.

Jane:Did he tell you? Did you see him? How do you know?

Julia: He was cheating on you... with me.

Jane: WHAT????? Why?

Julia: You didn't appreciate him. You never treated him right, so he turned to someone that could. And I did. And if you wouldn't have killed him, he would have left you and married me. He deserved better than you.

Jane: I can't believe you. Your supposed to be my friend. I've always told you everything. I never keep any secrets from you, I was always there for you. And this is how you thank me?

Julia: I'm calling the cops. I want you in jail. You should pay for what you did.

Jane: Well it's not going to help anything. Look at the case of Moore vs. Alabama, it's almost exactly like my case is. Good luck on that retrial. Its not going to happen.

Jane calls Josh:

Jane: I can't believe Julia would do this to me. We've been best friends since grade school. We've never fought about anything, but she's mad about this. Its a huge thing, so I can understand, but after what she did... I think she should be a little more forgiving. By the way thanks for being my alibi, I didn't think you would do it, but it kept me out of jail.

Josh: You're welcome, I would do anything for you. I'm glad that John never found out about us...... But I was talking to this lawyer the other day, and he told me about this case he was involved in. I think the case was McDonald vs. North Carolina. He was convicted for murder and was found not guilty. They wanted to try him again. The case was taken to the supreme court, and he wasn't tried again. I kinda hinted about your case, and he said that since you were found not guilty there is no way you can be tried again. So I'm pretty sure your all clear. They won't be able to take you back to court.